Posted:
Originally posted by: Princess.S786
Great update
Continue soon
Thanks so much for your comment! Glad you liked it 😊
Originally posted by: Princess.S786
Great update
Continue soon
Originally posted by: Nuritzur
Oh god even in your story Gayatri it a devil what a bad woman. how she did at behind his back.
where dadi when Kabeer need her.Waiting to read your next update
Originally posted by: crtkelly
Thanks so much for the PM😊
I so enjoy your writing!Great update, our poor Rabir subject to KT'sc , evil,manipulative, scheming mum even in fiction😡 (I'm you can tell how much of a fan of hers I am😉)Looking forward to your next update!
Originally posted by: cuteangelasya
Omg!!
Wht a twist...Wow, masi's response 2 rachna ws just amazing...N rachna hayee...Wohooo kabir u r too fab here...shouting at his mom...Luv it...N the last of the accident..oh wht an end...Continue soon
Originally posted by: saravathi
Thank god,I finally had some time to read this
U r superb Nivi,from the very second I came to know u r back with a new ffI was too excited n am sure u would have more twist n suspenses in the storyBut this was beyond my predictionEvery chapter was with twistRabir married,Rachna's parents deathThe murder n now the divorce thingI loved all ur chaps,Especially all the flashbacks of Rabir,short n sweet lovethis story is moving too fast,Wondering what have u planned for next chap..Thanks for the pms
Sorry for making you wait so long for this next update but I've been busy with school and exams. Oh, and a quick disclaimer, I have absolutely no knowledge of the judiciary system and the related laws, so any events in this chapter regarding legal procedures are highly fictionalized. I have taken great creative liberties in depicting these scenes so please don't take offense.
That being said, hope you enjoy it! 😊
--------------------
Chapter 8:
Kabir tasted the salty tears before he realized he was actually crying. He could not remember the last time he had cried. It may have been the day his father died, essentially orphaning him by leaving him in the clutches of that wretched woman. But the feeling was the same today: hopelessness...emptiness...he couldn't entirely describe it.
Speaking to no one but the wind and the ocean, Kabir released the feelings that had been pent up inside him.
"11 months and 3 days. That's how long it has been since you left me Rachna. That's how long I've been angry with you. That's how long I've been trying to figure out what went wrong between us. That's how long I've been hopeful that you would return and life would become normal again. Seeing you in Delhi that day I was surprised and, for a moment, I even became doubtful that you had moved on. But those two moments on that flight were enough to convince me that you are still as much in love with me as I am with you. So what do these divorce papers mean? Did you really sign them? But what if it is another one of that woman's plans? Could she have forged your signatures? Or did you really agree for this divorce? Oh god Rachna...I just need to see you...I need to talk to you."
--------------------------------
Meanwhile Rachna was frantically calling her own lawyer, trying to make sense of the entire situation herself.
"Hello! Mr. Lokhande? I...I...I need an explanation from you. What are these documents that I have just received? How can my divorce have been approved when I never filed for one?"
"You signed the papers yourself Rachna."
Rachna was more confused than ever. "What are you talking about? How could I not remember signing my own divorce papers? I never signed any such documents!"
"Rachna. I have other cases to deal with so I need to go."
"Wait...but...you..."
Rachna slammed down the phone.
"What happened Rachna? What did the lawyer say?"
"He said that I signed the divorce papers. But how is that possible? I never signed any divorce papers!"
Rachna dejectedly sad down on her bed and took a deep breath, trying to push back the anxiety attack that was threatening to take over her mind and body. Sneha could sense Rachna's panic.
"Rachna, beta you have to calm down. We will figure this out together. Let me go and meet with the lawyer. I promise I won't come back without an answer okay?"
Rachna weakly nodded at Sneha. Meanwhile, Pihu knocked on the door to inform Rachna that she was going the temple with Murli. After everyone left, Rachna sat in her room reading, and re-reading, the letter that had just turned her world upside down. She tried to recall the events following her parents' death.
------------------------------------
It had been two weeks since her parents' accident and death. Rachna had been in Mumbai, away from Kabir, for the past two weeks. She had been making rounds of the police station and court, but to no avail.
"Why does the date for the court hearing keep getting pushed ahead Mr. Lokhande?" Rachna fiercely questioned her lawyer.
"Rachna, yelling at me is not going to do anything. I have no say in such matters."
"And how can he get bail so quickly? He is responsible for murdering 2 people!" Rachna screamed.
"Rachna, he is from a very big family. They are rich and powerful, which means that they can manipulate the law to their liking, at least in this country."
"Who is he? What's his name?"
"Karan Tripathi."
Rachna looked up at her lawyer, shocked. "Karan Tripathi? Are you sure?"
With an affirmation from her lawyer, Rachna left his office in a daze, unsure of how to process the recent bit of information she had received. She arrived home to find that everyone else had gone to the temple. Seeing the open opportunity, Rachna decided to call Kabir with the intention of sharing this disturbing news with him. She knew how much Kabir adored his younger brother, but she couldn't hide such a big fact from her husband. Just as Rachna was about to call Kabir, her cell phone rang with Kabir's call instead.
"Hi Rachna. How's everything going? Any progress on the court case?"
"No Kabir. No progress."
"I'm sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can do to help?"
"No Kabir. I can handle it..." Rachna paused, trying to muster up the courage to share the truth with Kabir. Before she could continue, Kabir went on with the conversation.
"If you need any help, you let me know. Okay? Well, I also called to ask if there is any possibility that you could come to Benaras for a few days."
Rachna was surprised by the request. "Now? It's pretty chaotic here Kabir. I don't know if I can leave."
"Okay. I understand. It's just that Karan is coming here and I wanted you guys to meet. But if you can't make it I understand."
Hearing the excitement in Kabir's voice about his brother's upcoming visit shattered Rachna's intentions. She lost the resolve to tell him the truth of the accident. "I can't come Kabir."
Rachna cut the call and burst out crying. Rachna thought about the situation a lot. She wanted to punish her parents' murderer but she was worried about how Kabir would react. Rachna knew about Kabir's broken family. She knew that Kabir was extremely attached to and protective of his younger brother. Would Kabir go against his brother to support his wife?
Later that evening, Sneha called everyone for a family meeting. When they had all arrived, Sneha began the discussion.
"The past few weeks have been very difficult for all of us. It came as a huge shock to lose Shail didi and jija ji but it has been more painful to deal with the aftermath. We have all been so busy in all these legal matters that we have not even been able to mourn properly. Well I wanted to discuss with you all about what the next step will be. Mr. Lokhande just informed me that the date of the court hearing has been pushed back again to next month. Meanwhile, the opposition has requested that we do an out-of-court settlement. They are ready to negotiate on our terms. Mr. Lokhande's opinion is that we agree to this proposition since he feels that our case is getting weaker by the day because all of the key witnesses are refusing to testify in court. So, what do you all think? What should we do?"
No one spoke. All of them, from Gunjan and Pihu to Sneha and Akash, they were all sick of dealing with these legal proceedings. But Rachna was angered by Sneha's words.
"What should we do? What do you mean what should we do? Don't tell me that you are even remotely considering the possibility of an out-of-court settlement? How will you be able to live with yourself knowing that you didn't even try to punish mummy and papa's murderer?"
Sneha had expected such a reaction from Rachna. "It's not that I don't want to punish the culprit Rachna. The issue here is that how long all this will go on. This case could go on for months, even years. I don't have the strength to go through that. And what is the guarantee that the court will find the culprit guilty? What if they let him go, free of all charges?"
Everyone nodded in agreement, everyone but Rachna.
"Well I don't care how long it takes! If we have the truth with us, then we will win. The culprit will definitely get punished!"
"Rachna it's not just about punishing him. Think about how much pain and suffering you will go through to get him punished. Do you think your parents will be happy seeing you so unhappy? I promised Shail didi that I would fill your life with happiness Rachna...I can't break that promise. Please, agree to this out-of court settlement."
"Just do what you want. It doesn't matter what I think." Rachna ran out of the room crying.
Despite Rachna's objections, Sneha agreed to an out-of-court settlement. The Garg's took back their complaint and the opposition agreed to fulfill the following terms: a 3-year period of community service, a rescinded license for 24 months, and a donation of 50 lakhs to charity. Given that Rachna had filed the FIR against the culprit, she had to sign the contract to agree for the out-of-court settlement. On Sneha's insistence, Rachna signed those documents, but Rachna had refused to have any contact with the opposition party. She had left it up to Sneha and Pihu to ensure that the terms of the contract were being fulfilled. Angry with herself for succumbing to Sneha's wishes, Rachna went to Benaras to meet Kabir. She gave her family the excuse that she had to finish up some work there and they agreed to let her go, knowing that she needed time to deal with her emotions.
After arriving in Benaras, Rachna hurried home to meet Kabir but was disappointed to find the house empty. Kabir called to inform her that he had an important meeting to attend but he would be home as soon as it was over. Rachna had decided that she would tell Kabir everything; she would tell him the entire truth. She also wanted to convince him to reveal the truth of their marriage to her family. While Rachna was waiting for Kabir to come home, she began to put some things away in the cupboard. As she shifted some books, one of them fell down and some pages fell out of it. Picking it up off the floor, Rachna recognized the book as Kabir's diary. She tried to quickly put the pages back into the book, but seeing her name written on the page, curiosity got the best of her and she began to read.
These past few days without Rachna have been torturous. It must be even more difficult for her. I know what it's like to lose a parent; she has lost them both. I can't even imagine how she is holding herself together. I just want to hug her and take all the pain away. When she comes back I will surprise her with a trip to London. Karan wasn't able to visit us in India but we can definitely surprise him. It will be a good change of environment for Rachna too. Maybe it will be good for her to think about starting a family of our own again...
Rachna couldn't read any further. Tears streaming down her face, Rachna placed the page back into the diary. She broke down completely. The bitter pain of losing her unborn child and finding out that she could never become a mother came flooding back into her heart. She didn't have the courage to tell Kabir the truth anymore. Kabir returned home to find Rachna standing seriously in the balcony, determined to deliberately push herself away from him and his life. Kabir hugged her passionately, wanting to take away all her sorrows. His arms went limp as he heard the words come out of Rachna's mouth.
"I can't be with you anymore."
Recognizing that Rachna was going through a traumatic experience, Kabir tried to reason with her. "Rachna, baby I know it's tough right now. I know what it feels like. But trust me, it gets better over time. And I'll always be with you...I promise."
"Kabir please...we can't be together." Rachna turned away from Kabir to quickly wipe away her tears. Kabir walked towards Rachna and stood in front of her.
"Why? I love you Rachna and you love me too...so why can't we be together?"
She had no answer for him. She just stood there in front of him with her head turned towards the ground. Tears welled up in her eyes and she quietly let them flow down her face. Kabir gently pushed her chin up and wiped away her tears.
"Why are you pushing yourself away from me Rachna? I can see that you are not happy with this decision, so then why are you doing this?"
Rachna stood up straight and forced herself to stop crying. "My decision is final. We can't be together. Please just go away from my life...go away and forget me."
----------------------------------
The phone rang loudly, bringing Rachna out of her thoughts. After taking a moment to briefly compose herself, Rachna answered the phone on the fourth ring, only to hear.
"Rachna! What took you so long to pick up the phone?! Anyways, I have so much going on! I can't handle all this...it's too much stress."
"Chaya, Chaya...listen to me. Take a deep breath. Now tell me what the problem is."
"Okay. I am supposed to pick up my cousin from the airport in a few hours but I have to go for my makeup trial at the salon and everyone else is also busy preparing for tomorrow's sangeet. So basically, I'm freaking out because I don't know what to do right now!"
"Okay, relax. I'll pick up your cousin from the airport. Don't worry."
"Seriously? Rachna, thank you so much! You're a huge life saver!"
"It's no problem Chaya."
"Okay, so you've met Rhea before...my cousin from London, remember her? She's coming with her boyfriend and her flight lands in two hours."
"Yeah, I remember Rhea. And don't worry Chaya...everything will be perfect. You just focus on yourself...you're the bride."
---------------------
Thoughts? Good/bad/terrible?
❤️ Nivi
comment:
p_commentcount